Today: How are ads persuasive?
What techniques are used and why?
Defining Some
of Advertising
Persuasive techniques
• different ways to persuade the audience
• influence people to have a certain belief
or opinion or to act in a certain way.
• used to convince people to buy a product
or service or adopt an idea.
• aim messages at the audience’s
emotions, beliefs, or reason.
Details about techniques in ads
Advertisers use a combination of visuals,
sound, special effects, and words to persuade
their target audience.
Every ad contains a “message” or big idea.
Messages center around three types of
“appeals”: emotional, logical, and ethical.
Defining Some
of Advertising
Logical appeals: persuasive techniques that
rely on facts and reason. The claim makes
sense. Problem and solution may be used.
Defining Some
of Advertising
Ethical appeals are persuasive techniques
that link claims to already accepted values
and beliefs. Sometimes unethical,
depending on how used.
Defining Some
of Advertising
Emotional appeals are persuasive
techniques that tap into strong feelings,
such as appeals to fear, pity, guilt,
happiness. Emotions are evoked through
loaded words, images, music, and colors.
Ethical Appeal
+
Emotional
Appeal: Guilt
Emotional
Appeal:
Relaxation
Emotional Appeal: Sadness
Loaded Terms/Emotional Appeal:
Love, Heaven
Emotional
Appeal:
Guilt
IMPORTANT: Emotional, logical, and
ethical appeals may overlap.
Persuasive
Technique
How It Is Used
Intended
Effect
Humor
(Emotional Appeal)
Makes the
consumer laugh;
often gives little
information about
the product
• Consumers
remember the ad
and the product.
Persuasive
Technique
How It Is Used
Intended
Effect
Bandwagon
Suggests that
everyone is using
the product
• Consumers buy
the product
because they
want to fit in.
• Consumers
assume that if
others buy it, the
product must be
good.
(Emotional Appeal:
envy, being left out)
Bandwagon
Bandwagon
Bandwagon
Bandwagon: Discount
Bandwagon: Action required!
Persuasive
Technique
How It Is Used
Intended
Effect
Appeals to
• Consumers
consumers’ desire
celebrate their
(Logical + Emotional to be different from
own style, or
Appeal)
everyone else; the
rebel against
opposite of the
what others are
bandwagon appeal
doing.
• Consumers think
of the product as
different,
fashionable, or
cool.
Individuality
Individuality
Individuality
Individuality
Individuality
Individuality
Persuasive
Technique
How It Is Used
Intended
Effect
Shows a popular
• Transfer respect
celebrity promoting
or admiration of
a product
celebrity to
product
(Logical + Emotional
• Think of celebrity
Appeal: Admiration
– think of product
+ Trust)
Testimonial:
Celebrity
Spokesperson
Testimonial (Celebrity)
Testimonial (Celebrity)
Testimonial (Celebrity)
Testimonial (Celebrity)
Testimonial (Celebrity)
Testimonial (Celebrity)
Testimonial (Celebrity)
Persuasive
Technique
How It Is Used
Intended
Effect
Testimonial:
Expert
(Appeal to
Logic)
Shows an expert or
an authority figure
who says they
recommend the
product.
• transfer trust of
the expert to the
product.
(Ex. dentist or
doctor)
Testimonial (Expert)
Testimonial (Expert)
Persuasive
Technique
Loaded Terms
(Words) #1
“Glittering
Generalities”
(Emotional
Appeal)
How It Is Used
Intended
Effect
Uses vague words – • Consumers accept
such as patriotism
this information,
and family – that
often without
bring to mind values
questioning why
people agree with;
no evidence was
often provides little
given to support
or no concrete
the claim.
evidence
Loaded Terms: Glittering Generalities
Persuasive
Technique
How It Is Used
Loaded Terms #2 Uses words that
“Purr Words”

(Emotional
Appeal)
have positive
feelings associated
with them, such as
“tasty,” “maximize,”
“live,” or
“sensational.”
Intended
Effect
• product seems
more desirable.
• Appeal to
emotions, rather
than their logic.
Loaded Terms: Purrrrrrrr
Loaded Terms: Purrrrrrrr
Loaded Terms: Purrrrr
Persuasive
Technique
How It Is Used
Intended
Effect
Repetition
words, images, or
• remember the
phrases shown over
words, etc. and
and over again
associate them
with the product
Slogans or jingles
Persuasive
Technique
Plain Folks
(Normal
People)
Logical
Appeal
How It Is Used
Intended
Effect
everyday people
used to connect to
normal people like
you and me.
• Consumers draw
a parallel
between
themselves and
the everyday
person using a
product.
Ex. Families, moms,
kids, athletes.
Plain Folks
Plain Folks
Plain Folks
Plain Folks
Plain Folks
Plain Folks
Persuasive
Technique
How It Is Used
Snob Appeal
Taps into people’s
• Consumers
desires to be special
associate being
or part of an elite
special or elite
group
with the product,
service, or idea.
(Emotional
Appeal: envy)
Intended
Effect
Snob Appeal
Snob Appeal
Snob Appeal
Snob Appeal
Persuasive
Technique
How It Is Used
Intended
Effect
Name-calling
(product
comparison)
The negative
aspects of a
competitor are
highlighted.
____ vs. ____
• develop a
negative opinion
of a competitor’s
product and buy
the sponsor’s
product instead.
Logical
Appeal
Name-calling
Name-calling
Name-calling
Name-calling
Name-calling
Name-calling
What’s the author’s purpose of every
single advertisement ever made?
TO PERSUADE.
Target Audience
A target audience is the specific group of
people that a product is aimed at.
Advertisers draw
s between
members of a target audience.
They look for shared characteristics, such as
age, gender, ethnic background, occupation,
geography, values, or lifestyle.